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Never Goin Backis Augustine Frizzells directorial debut, but its her second stab at the story.
Ive read that a lot ofNever Goin Backis inspired by your own teenage years.
I have a potty mouth, Im kind of brash, my best friend and I got along great.
We didnt have to define what our relationship was, or what our friendship was.
Were still friends to this day.
We talked last week.
Some women [respond to the movie saying], Thats exactly how we are.
This is how we act amongst each other we talk.
We have issues with the bathroom and we talk about sex like its no big deal.
Has that made you reconsider your teenage years?Now, Im like:Maybe?
Am I influenced by the male gaze?
Its more enlightening in a way.
My parents didnt have a ton of money.
They were working class: My mom worked in a factory.
My stepdad worked as a welder.
How did I get from that to this?
How did I become what Ive become?
Its been helpful, I think.
Again, thats such a vulnerable place to make a movie from.It definitely is.
What we were like, my best friends, my friendships.
This woman is like an Upper East Side New Yorker now, superwealthy, super-bougie.
Im like, Where did this story come from?
Like,thisis why I made the movie.
What can I do?
Thats who I was.
Thats part of my experience.
I just wanted to make something that spoke to my personal experience.
I think everyone has a right to do that, whatever their experience was.
We hitchhiked to work and strangely nothing ever happened.
I dont know why or how thats the case, so I didnt want to fabricate that.
We were just tight as friends could be.
I didnt want to just make these crazy dramatized events.
I just wanted it to be likeSuperbad.
Nothing ever happened to those guys inSuperbad.
They get arrested and the cops turn out to be crazy.
There didnt need to be this heavy thing put on it.
I mean, I have written a script thats like that and I might make it eventually.
The bummer aspects of having grown up that way.
But right now … just strict comedy.
Camila and Maias chemistry as best friends is so essential to telling this story.
How did you find them?They were both amazing.
They were so personable and they both connected with the material.
They had personal experiences that felt in-line with what the script was saying so that was it.
I just asked for audition tapes.
Maia sent her tape, and she read for both roles and was so fantastic.
I remember watching the tape on my phone: I was in Cincinnati, like out of town.
Shes so fucking good.
You could just see they balance each other out in the most interesting way.
We saw a ton of fantastic actors.
Never Goin Backbegan as another feature that you cut into a short.
Can you tell me about deciding to rework it into what you wanted?I was definitely depressed.
I was like, I failed!
I completely messed this up.
This is the worst.
Even on a 16-day shoot, its hard.
Everyone put in their sweat and blood and it was not an easy decision, Ill give you that.
It took me a minute.
Even then, my producer suggested it.
They hadnt produced the first feature.
No ones waiting on this.
You dont have to put it out.
It really was their encouragement combined with my dissatisfaction that was most helpful.
This is why friends are so important.
Id be nowhere without the friends in my life.
Whats the craziest story from your life that didnt make it into the script?Oh, God.
I know there are some.
]We used to steal everything.
When we were living on our own, we would steal food.
This is really awful and embarrassing but Ill tell it anyway.
It may not be as bad.
Im so ashamed now because I dont live this way at all.
This is when we were living in Panama City Beach.
Come party with us.
So, me and my friend went, knew a bunch of other kids there.
Then, we had beer bottles and we threw the beer bottles off.
It was so awful.
And then later, we saw that they had closed down the pool and we couldnt swim.
And we were like, Thats our fault.
Thats our broken glass thats keeping us from swimming.
I felt so bad because all these people were on vacation and theres broken glass all over the pool.
Its not that bad of a story.
Its just such a bummer.
Its just such a shitty thing to do as a teenager.
I wondered what you thought of that.[Laughs.
Hes like, Now, you know what Ive been going through.
Now you know I get stressed out.
So I think its brought us closer on a number of levels.
Weve always been close but I love it.
I like repping Dallas, too.
Im glad that were helping bring some attention to this city and this area.
Has she seen the movie?She hasnt yet!
I dont want her to see it on a laptop.
I want her to see it on the big screen.
She saw the original version and she loved it.
She was just like, Aw, I can believe it.
Theres a lot of similarities to the original.
I think shell like it.
I think shell appreciate this one.
Shes like, Im excited!
Anytime the movie is brought up, Im like Thats me!
I brag about it all the time.
My lifes an open book.
Shes a storyteller by heart.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
